December 24, 2012

The Beer Bums 3rd Annual Christmas party that was another marathon of great beers. I took notes on the beers as we went so I wouldn’t forget what I thought about each one, but I was having trouble keeping up. I had to leave early so this is a list of what we had while I was there. There were many more fantastic beers to be sampled after I left. A good time as always.

Avery Hog Heaven A dry-hopped barley wine. Exciting and tasty, although a bit young for a barley wine. I need to try it again.

Ommegang Goudenhop I must have had a few by this point, because I thought this was Ommegang’s version of Duvel, but I was totally wrong. I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t taste at all like Duvel.... because I’m an idiot.

December 20, 2012

Karbach is a Houston brewery that is currently only available in the Houston area. I have heard great things about their beers so on a recent trip to Houston I picked up the Rodeo Clown Double IPA to see what all the fuss was about. It poured a deep copper with a full tan head. The aroma was fruity and floral hops with sweet malts to round it out. The flavor had a good bitter hoppiness that leaned towards the piney side. As it warmed the sweet malt flavors came through with a slight alcohol burn but always ending with the piney hops that coated my palate. The Rodeo Clown was an excellent brew, and it's great to have a local brewery that offers a Double IPA in bottles/cans. This gives me something to look forward to on my trips to Houston and hopefully they will start sending their beers to Austin too!Karbach Rodeo Clown Double IPA‏

December 16, 2012

I am just getting into the Green Flash beers and I have been extremely impressed with their ability to brew consistently great beers over a wide variety of styles. Case in point being their delectable Double Stout. I knew that they had their hoppy beers under control with their West Coast IPA and Hop Head Red, but this takes their mastery in a new direction. The Stout poured a pitch black with a substantial tan head. The aroma was full of roasted malts and maybe a trace of hops. The taste was deep and complex with layers of nuttiness, chocolate and coffee undertones and more of the roasted malt flavor. For such a foreboding brew it had a medium body that I found to be easy to drink despite the full flavor profile that enveloped my palate. This was a great stout that I could drink regularly and a perfect elixir for the cold months ahead. Green Flash Double Stout

December 10, 2012

Karbach Brewing is a Houston based brewery that distributes only in Houston. So, of course on a Thanksgiving trip to Houston I had to try their Hopadillo IPA, and I was thoroughly impressed. It poured a golden amber with a full and substantial head. There was loads of citrus and dank hops in the aroma and it was my first indication I was in for an IPA that I was really going to enjoy. The taste had plenty of hop bite with a solid malt body that gave the Hopadillo a well rounded and balanced flavor profile. The hops were heavy with tropical fruits and citrus and a bit of dank hops that I always enjoy. The Hopadillo was an excellent IPA from Karbach and shows a lot of depth and sophistication from such a young brewery. They will definitely give me something to look forward to on any visit to Houston.Karbach Brewing Hopadillo IPA

December 4, 2012

The epitome of Stone and their IPA’s. They have a known commitment to maintaining fresh beer on the shelves all across the country as it is of tantamount importance to drink your hoppy beers as fresh as possible. Coming from the kings of West Coast IPAs what better than to print the “drink by” date right their big and bold on the label. Thus the Enjoy By 12/21/12 IPA. With the rise of the craft beer movement it has become increasingly difficult to find these limited releases, but I have been pleasantly surprised to see this IPA widely distributed and showing up even at my local HEB (which has a great beer section BTW). On to the beer: It poured a nice golden hue with a subdued white head. The aroma of hops jumped out of the bottle with fruity citrus notes, a bit of pine and even the dank hops I know and love. The first taste knocked my socks off! No kidding, I still can’t find them. There are obviously a lot of hops which is to be expected from a Stone IPA, but they were handled very well. Loads and loads, but balanced so as not to give you the bitter beer face or palate wrecking experience of some IPAs. There were tropical fruits and citrus on the front end with the pine bitterness coming through on the back leaving a nice bitter coating on your palate. All of these great hop flavors were riding a danky hoppiness that held it all together. I thought the New Belgian/Alpine Collaberation Super IPA was awesome, but the Enjoy By IPA really handled the hops with a more delicate balance. This was a fantastic beer and easily in my top IPA’s. I just need to get more and drink them quickly, time is running out!!Stone Enjoy By IPA 12/21/12

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Beer Trading Bums

It’s simple.A group of 6 that meet once a month. Each month has a different beer theme.We bring a 6 pack of beer on that theme.We taste one beer from each pack at the meeting and trade the rest.We taste 5-6 different beers a month, and go home with 5 beers to taste again later.